The Dragon Who Fell From The Stars
by Dread Locksman
Summary: Ben, the Dragon Rider, tells the story of his grandfather, Stanley, who, in his teens, was deported to a Nazi concentration camp, and how a young silver dragoness rescued him. An intense, emotional, tragic, sometimes hilarious, and ultimately beautiful story about love, innocence, courage, faith, and the TRUE meaning of what we call "humanity". (FYI: Holocaust-themed) ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

Ch.1 The Dragon Boy

Ben slowly woke up from a peaceful sleep. He found himself wrapped in a blanket, lying next to Firedrake, his companion and protector. The dragon was still asleep even though it was almost sunhigh. His long, spiny tail was coiled protectively around Ben, and his scales kept the boy warm. Ben quietly got up from Firedrake's tail, careful not to wake him. Sorrel was asleep close beside him, dreaming about mushrooms. Just outside the cave, there was a bright light that made Ben squint his eyes. He walked to the mouth of the cave and looked around, his eyes beginning to adjust.

The sun rose high in the blue, cloudless sky. The mountains surrounding the Rim of Heaven made Ben feel small, but the valley was so vast Ben guessed the whole city of London could fit in it. He could see a few dragons gliding overhead. Now that the moonlight spell was broken, dragons could fly whenever they felt like it. Nothing was holding them down anymore.

Ben had been living with the dragons in the big, beautiful valley on top of the world for almost a year, and it was the happiest time of his life. Ben looked around himself in awe and wonder, and he felt so incredibly glad that he woke up here rather than on a dirty sidewalk in the middle of an ugly human city.

 _No gangs here_ , he thought. _No police here, either. No drugs, no guns, no knives, no violence, no death, no sorrow, no homelessness here...no cars, buildings, ships, loud noises, smoke, exhaust, trash, shootouts, fights, crashes…_ Ben thought a bit more. _No..._ _ **humans**_ _...absolutely no humans here at all...but me. Just this valley, and these mountains, my whole new family of dragons and brownies, and me_. Ben smiled. _Past is in the past. No more troubles now_.

"Good morning," a gruff but warm voice said. Ben turned around and saw Firedrake standing beside him. Firedrake lowered his head and contentedly nuzzled Ben with his big nose. Ben pressed his forehead in between the dragon's eyes in response.

"Morning," Ben said.

"I assume you've slept well. How are you feeling?" Firedrake asked.

"Happy, as usual," Ben chuckled. "Happy that I woke up here, with you, and everyone else here." Firedrake sniffed the spot on Ben's chest where the purple yin spear had hit him. Also the spot where Firedrake's fiery teardrop fell on, and healed the wound. Ever since that day, Firedrake had become so protective of Ben he would not let him out of his sight, as if he were a hatchling.

"Sorrel's still sleeping," Firedrake said. "Would you like to fly around for a bit?"

"You should know by now," Ben replied with a smile, "that I'd never say 'no' to flying."

Firedrake walked out of the cave, stretching out his wings. Ben climbed up onto Firedrake's back and strapped himself to one of his spines.

"Oh, I just remembered! Today's our monthly visit to the monastery," Ben said.

"All right," replied Firedrake. The way Ben lived with the dragons was almost like a routine. Whenever Ben and the dragons had woken up, Ben and Firedrake would fly high up in the sky and all over the mountains and snow. They would fly for fun mostly, and they'd try new maneuvers, such as flying upside down, doing loop-de-loops, or Ben free falling alongside Firedrake. Firedrake would get worried every time Ben would free fall, but Ben really enjoyed it. Whenever Firedrake and Ben weren't flying, they would be resting in the valley. Ben would listen to the dragons tell old stories and legends concerning dragonkind, many of them completely different from the kinds of tales Ben heard before he met Firedrake. Ben would also get his daily exercise in by running around the valley. The valley was so vast Ben could only cover about one-seventh of it (the same as 12 miles). Maia would keep an eye on Ben while he ran so she could fly him back to the clan when he got tired.

Only once a month did Firedrake fly Ben down to the nearby monastery, so Ben could have some human interaction. Ben loved meeting with the monks there. They were the most peaceful humans he'd ever known. Firedrake loved the monks just as much for understanding and respecting his kind.

It took about twenty minutes for Firedrake to reach the monastery. As he circled above it, Ben called down to the monks below, waving his right hand. They heard the sound of a gong echo around the mountainside, and all the monks poured out onto the courtyard, happily waving their hands.

With a few wingbeats, Firedrake floated down from the sky and landed in the courtyard. The monks gathered around the dragon and bowed in respect to him. Ben climbed down from Firedrake's back and looked around the gathering monks, smiling.

"Ben! I'm so glad to see you again, my boy!" Ben heard a familiar voice say. In front of him, he saw Professor Greenbloom walking up to him with open arms. Ben ran into the professor's hug, nearly knocking him over.

"Professor Greenbloom!" Ben laughed. "My God, how long has it been since we last saw each other? Like, what, almost a year?"

"That's right," replied the professor. He examined Ben up-and-down.

"Look at you!" he exclaimed. "You look like a feral child- a Mowgli! A "dragon" Mowgli!"

Ben had grown a few inches for a seventeen-year-old. Thanks to his almost daily running, Ben was lighter and quicker at the feet. He always washed, but he also always wore the same clothes, which became dirty and worn-out over the past year. Ben's hair had grown bigger and curlier, and facial hair was beginning to appear on his chin. His fingernails looked like little claws. Even though he brought back food with him from his visits to the monastery, Ben learned how to live off of edible mushrooms, roots, and herbs, thanks to Sorrel's and Burr-Burr Chan's help.

"Don't bother, professor," Ben said. "I've always been a freak, one way or the other."

Firedrake stretched out his long neck and gently nuzzled Professor Greenbloom.

"Hello, Professor," he said. "How is your family?"

"They're doing very well back home," the professor replied. "My wife and daughter talk about you all the time, especially you, Ben." He looked at Ben. "I learned about your struggles back in London. I learned about The Family, your friends Reggie and Eddy and Alex, even what you guys got yourselves into."

Ben's smile faded. The professor and Firedrake could see the pain show in the boy's eyes.

Shortly after all the dragons and brownies had settled into the Rim of Heaven, Ben told them all the story about his past- about how his wayward mother left him with his neglectful uncle and aunt, how he ran away to London and how he joined a group of homeless teenage boys called The Family, how they soon got involved into drug trafficking and gang warfare and were eventually busted by the police, and how Ben lived all by himself as a homeless street boy until he was rescued by Firedrake.

Not only were all the dragons stunned to learn what Ben had gone through in the human world, but they were greatly convinced it was best for him to stay with them, especially Firedrake.

"Listen, Ben," Professor Greenbloom said. "I'm so sorry about what happened to you in the past, and I clearly see now why you'd much rather live with dragons than humans."

Ben looked up. "Hey, I know, professor, but I do know you're not like the rest of the humans, nor your family. You're just like me. I just feel ready to be back in… well, you know. Human society."

"I understand," replied the professor. "But, still, we miss you, and we'd like for you to spend some time with us, at least."

"I was actually going to ask you that," Ben said, smiling. "Maybe this summer?" Ben glanced up at Firedrake. "Would that be alright?"

Firedrake smiled. "That'd be great. After all," he glanced at the professor, "you've helped us on our quest, so I trust you."

"Thank you, my friend," replied the professor. "Oh, I almost forgot. I happened to bring someone along with me."

He reached into his jacket pocket and brought out something that looked like a small human toy, waking up from his sleep.

"Twigleg!" exclaimed Ben.

Twigleg woke with a startle, and stood up in the professor's hand and beamed.

"Young master!" he cried. "It's wonderful to meet you again!"

Over the course of the day, Firedrake and Ben told the professor, Twigleg, and the monks about their lives in the Rim of Heaven, and also of the adventures Firedrake and Ben had in search of other dragons. They told of their encounter of one of the legendary four river dragons in China, how they met a wyvern when they went back to Egypt, and how they successfully convinced several small clans of dragons to move in with them.

"It's been amazing and exciting to find out there's more dragons out there," said Ben.

"And we're going to find as many as we can," added Firedrake, with a hint of determination in his voice. Ben grinned at him in agreement.

As the sun began to set, the group flew back to the Rim of Heaven. All the dragons and brownies were awake now.

"Welcome back!" called Maia. She watched as Firedrake smoothly glided through the air and landed in the soft, blue flowers. Sorrel ran up to Firedrake and hugged his neck, before tackling Ben as he had clambered down off of Firedrake.

"Hi, Ben! Here, get a noseful of this," she said, holding up an exotic-looking mushroom. "Burr-Burr Chan grew this for me. It smells like some kind of wildflower, and it tastes juicy as well."

"I'll remember to give it a try later," grinned Ben. Sorrel was always enthusiastic at being Ben's mushroom guide.

"Hello, Sorrel," the professor said, as he got off of Firedrake's back as well.

"Hello, Professor," Sorrel smiled, and then frowned when she saw Twigleg on his shoulder. "Oh, you again," she muttered.

The dragons and brownies began to form into a crowd around the professor, but then respectfully made way for an old yet humble dragon as he strode up to him.

"My name is Slatebeard," he said. "You must be the professor who helped Firedrake find this place. Firedrake told us about you."

"It is quite an honor to meet you, Slatebeard, as it was quite an honor to help Firedrake, Ben, Sorrel, on their quest," the professor replied, placing his hand on Slatebeard's snout in a polite gesture.

By the time the moon had risen it was glowing as bright as the sun, and the stars covered the dark sky in little lights. All the dragons and brownies had a gathering with Ben and the professor for several hours, discussing where more dragons could be found. Most of the dragons were silver dragons, but there were other dragons who recently moved in, and they were not silver at all. Some had bronze scales, some had green scales, and some had red-orange scales. Some dragons had only two legs, and looked almost like giant birds.

Most of them were not accustomed to humans, and Ben and Professor Greenbloom could see some hostility in their eyes, but they eventually warmed up to Ben and the professor since Firedrake was around.

One dragon, however, kept glancing hatefully at Ben. It was a young dragon, probably 400 or 500 years old, with brownish-grey scales and orange, piercing eyes. Firedrake found him living alone in a big, dark cave in the mountains of Romania, and brought him to the Rim of Heaven four months ago.

His name was Ormr, and he _hated_ human beings.

He especially did not like Ben.


	2. Ch2 Ormr

Ch.2 Ormr

The dragons soon returned to their caves and settled down to sleep, while the brownies sang pleasant songs to them. Professor Greenbloom lay down beside Firedrake's warm scales and drifted into his dreams. Only Ben remained awake. He walked around the beautiful crescent-shaped lake that reflected the moon's beautiful glow. It was one of those moments where Ben could have some time to himself. He thought about the angry dragon who had been staring at him earlier. During his first months living in the Rim of Heaven, Ben had met some distrust from the dragons because he was a human, especially from the newer dragons. But he was never bothered, and eventually all of the dragons warmed up to him.

But Ormr hated Ben so much he stayed clear away from him. Ben did the same as well, for he did not like being around someone who hated him. But Ben couldn't stop thinking about the rage in Ormr's eyes.

Ben turned his heel and began to walk back to Firedrake's cave when he bumped into a large snout. He backed up in surprise. Ormr was blocking his way. He growled menacingly at him.

"Where do you think you're going, human?" Ormr questioned.

"I'm just going to get some sleep," Ben replied, somewhat innocently. Ormr began circling Ben. His eyes were shining with hate.

"I believe I have a bone to pick with you," he growled. "It's bad enough living with a small, worthless human, whom all these dragons seem to admire, but now you've brought over another one."

Ormr lowered his head and crouched to the ground like a panther cornering his prey.

Ben pulled his penknife out from his back pocket.

"The professor's a friend. A friend of dragons," Ben said, ready for anything.

Ormr chuckled. "I don't believe a word from you," he said. "You and your 'friend of dragons' are obviously spying for the humans, who will someday find us and kill us all. Well, I'm going to make you pay for what you've done to our kind."

"I'm not a spy-" Ben began to speak when the dragon suddenly lunged forward, his jaws wide open. Ben jumped out of the way before the jaws clamped shut, and ran underneath Ormr. Ormr roared in frustration and grabbed Ben with his giant claw. Ben screamed bloody murder and plunged his knife into the claw, causing Ormr to let go of him. The dragon howled in pain and anger.

Firedrake was out of his cave in an instant.

"What's going on here?" he demanded.

"Firedrake!" Ormr cried. "This impudent human here stabbed me in the claw with his blade!" He looked down at the boy who was on his knees.

"I did no such thing!" Ben shouted. He stood up indignantly. "Ormr here attacked me and I defended myself."

Teeth bared, Firedrake stared down at Ormr. "You leave Ben alone, do you hear me?" he growled. "If you ever come near him again, I'll-"

"Stop, Firedrake," Maia said. She, Slatebeard and several other dragons were disturbed by the commotion and had come out of their caves to investigate. Sorrel and Burr-Burr Chan ran up to Ben.

"Ben, are you alright?" Sorrel asked. "Fearsome fungi, what happened?"

"I'm fine, Sorrel," Ben said. He looked up at Firedrake, who was still glaring at Ormr, who had backed away a few feet. "I'm not hurt or anything like that. I'm okay, really."

Firedrake looked down at Ben, sniffed him over anxiously, and looked back at Ormr.

"What's your problem, Ormr?" Firedrake questioned.

Ormr scowled at Firedrake. "Don't you realize your pet human is a traitor? He's brought another one of them here. What if brings in a whole army of humans with him?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Firedrake rebutted. "Ben is a huge reason why we've found this valley. It's because of him that you're here. Ben is not like the other humans, and neither is the professor."

"It's all true," said Professor Greenbloom. He walked over to Ben to make sure he was alright. Then he went over to Ormr, though he kept a safe distance.

"I'm no spy. I've helped Firedrake and Ben find this valley. I'm forever a friend to dragons."

Ormr just snorted in contempt.

"Ormr, you will be punished," Slatebeard said sternly.

Ben looked up. "Slatebeard, no. It's not a big deal. This is just a misunderstanding."

Slatebeard paid no mind to Ben. "Shimmertail. Keep watch of Ormr and make sure he does not come near anyone, especially Ben."

Ben sighed in relief, glad that Ormr's punishment wasn't too serious. He still felt ashamed over what had happened. He walked with the dragons back to their moonstone-lit cave.

Maia gently nuzzled Ben. "I'm sorry, Ben."

"It's okay," Ben replied.

"Don't take it personally. I've heard that Ormr has had some," Maia paused, "bad experiences with humans before. But no one here thinks less of you."

Ben's face suddenly turned frustrated. " 'Bad experiences with humans.' Of course. It's always bad experiences with humans," Ben said, raising his voice. "So now I get attacked by a dragon because I'm a human, when my goddamn whole life, humans have attacked me because I'm a 'hobo', a 'misfit', a 'dirty Jew', a 'punk', a 'brat', and a 'freak'!"

Firedrake turned to Ben. "Ben-"

"No, Firedrake!" Ben shouted, but quickly calmed down. "No. I'm sick of having to deal with hate and indifference all the time. If only Ormr knew a little bit of what I went through." Ben trotted on, shaking his head. "I'm done with this, man. I'm sick of it," he muttered quietly to himself.

Sorrel watched Ben with a raised eyebrow. "Wow," she said. "Humans can be so dramatic."

Through the rest of the night and on into day, everyone remained asleep. Shimmertail stayed up to watch Ormr. Ben, however, couldn't stop thinking all night and all day about his encounter with Ormr and his angry outburst shortly after. True, Ormr didn't know anything about Ben's life. Then again, Ben didn't anything about Ormr's life either. _Am I being selfish?_ he thought.

Finally Ben made up his mind. He decided to try to talk with Ormr himself and make amends. It was going to be hard getting out of the cave. Even though Firedrake was snoring peacefully, his giant front leg was wrapped around Ben. _Nothing better than a freakishly overprotective dragon._ Ben smiled at the thought. It took him about five to ten minutes to wriggle himself from underneath the dragon's grasp like a worm. He quietly tiptoed his way past the sleeping dragons and brownies and out of the cave. It was afternoon. _Man, I hope Firedrake won't cause an avalanche when he finds out I've snuck out._ It took Ben about fifteen minutes to walk to the nearest corner where Ormr's cave was located. Shimmertail was on guard outside.

"What are you up to, Dragon Rider?" Shimmertail questioned.

"I want to make amends with Ormr," replied Ben.

"It's too dangerous. Ormr will kill you." Shimmertail blocked the boy's way. "Besides, Slatebeard has Ormr under punishment."

"I don't there to be anymore bad blood." Ben looked seriously at Shimmertail. He then added, "If you're worried about me, you may be my bodyguard."

Ben went into the cave, with Shimmertail close behind. Ormr was sound asleep. The knife was stuck in his claw like a splinter.

"Ormr!" Ben shouted. The brownish-grey dragon woke with a start, and narrowed his orange eyes at the human boy.

"So, you're here to finish me off then?" Ormr growled.

No, I'm here to make amends," Ben replied. "First, let me pull that knife out from your claw. Do you promise you won't do anything when I pull it out?"

Ormr looked at Ben for a few moments, and then said, "All right. I promise."

Ben walked cautiously over to Ormr's giant claw, while Shimmertail watched nervously.

"You promise?" Ben raised his eyebrows at Ormr.

"I promise," Ormr replied.

Ben took a firm hold on the handle with his right hand, and placed his left hand around the wound.

"Hold still," he muttered. Ben pulled the knife sharply out of the dragon's claw. Ormr grunted in pain, and began to lick his wound clean.

"There," Ben said, wiping the blood off his knife with his jacket. "Now I hope we put an end to this conflict."

"We'll see," Ormr said. The dragon studied Ben for a bit, and said, "Why did you help me, anyway?"

Ben shrugged. "'Cause it's right to do so. I don't want there to be a rift between us just because I seem to be...upheld by everyone here."

Ormr was somewhat surprised by Ben's integrity. He had never met a human in his life like Ben.

Curiously, Ormr said, "Well, uh… young human… last night I assume I heard you shouting that you were tired of dealing with hate and indifference, and I remember you saying if only I knew what you went through. I'm curious- what _is_ it that you went through?"

Ben looked at Ormr, surprised at his sudden change in attitude. He then glanced up at Shimmertail, then back to Ormr.

"Well, it's a quite a story, but all I can say for now, is that I had a pretty awful life among humans. I've been abandoned, chased, and nearly killed by other humans, so I was always on the run. Maybe it was because I was a very rare kind of human- a human who actually has a heart."

"A pure heart, in fact," Shimmertail added. "If it weren't for Ben, none of us would be here in this beautiful valley."

"Honestly, I should thank Firedrake for finding me," Ben pointed out. "He saved me from a rather awful life."

Ormr listened to the silver dragon and the boy with budding interest.

And then Ben said to Ormr, "But what about you, Ormr? I don't know anything about your life. What happened to you that made you so hateful towards humans?"


	3. Ch3 Dealing With The Past

Ch.3 Dealing With The Past

Ormr stared incredulously at Ben as if he had spoken magic words. His whole life, Ormr believed that all humans were evil; yet part from the dragon slayers he had encountered when he was a hatchling, he had never actually interacted with one until this moment. His carefully-constructed attitude fell apart. He had no idea what to make of Ben, or how he could explain his tragic past. He looked down at his claws.

"Ben!" Firedrake called from outside the cave.

"Don't worry! Ben's alive and well!" Shimmertail replied over his shoulder. "He and Ormr seem to be getting along better now."

A few moments later, Firedrake stepped into the cave, followed by Maia, Sorrel, Burr-Burr Chan, and the professor with Twigleg on his shoulder. Firedrake looked at Ormr with a raised eyebrow. Ormr returned his glance.

"Firedrake…" Ormr began, "I apologize for my behavior the other night. What I did was disgraceful. I now know what the human boy has done for you and everyone else." He glanced at Ben.

Firedrake warmed up a little. "I accept your apology, Ormr, and I'm glad you know and understand who Ben is," he said.

"I just don't understand something," Ormr replied. "If 'Ben' really is who he is," Ormr turned his head to Professor Greenbloom and Twigleg, "then who is _this_ human, and why did 'Ben' bring him here?"

"I am a dear friend of Ben and Firedrake, and I've helped them locate this valley," the professor said with a grin.

Professor Greenbloom explained to Ormr how much he knew and respected dragons, as well as many fabulous creatures in the world, and told him how he helped Firedrake and Ben find the Rim of Heaven, all the while keeping the story short. Ormr's listened with interest, and he didn't react beyond asking an occasional question. When the professor was done, Ormr didn't know what to think.

A shadow cast over his face.

"I feel like I've been struck dumb. I don't know what to think anymore." He looked up. "Are not all humans supposed to be evil? I've never met a human who was actually good." He looked at Ben and the professor, and turned to Firedrake, Maia, and Shimmertail. "I'm sure you all confirm it, yes?" he asked. The three dragons nodded in response.

Ormr looked back down at his strong claws. "Many, many years ago, when I was very young, when I was only learning to fly, my family lived a cave hidden in the mountains, on a large island off the coast of the mainland. I had a father, a mother, and three siblings. Our father told us stories of great dragons who performed heroic deeds and fought many enemies and protected our kind. But he also told us stories of humans- how evil they were, and how they laid waste to the land wherever they went. We were told to beware of humans, because dragons can never live in harmony with them.

One night, while our father was away, a large army of humans found our cave. They came with all their weapons, and they stormed into our home. Our mother was killed and my siblings were taken away, probably killed later for their scales. Only I escaped through a hidden tunnel. I set out to find Father, but I couldn't find him anywhere. A few seasons had passed until some humans captured me, and locked me in a dark prison. There I found Father. He was starved and tortured; his wings and claws were cut off, and he was on the brink of death.

I stayed by his side until he died. He told me to live on, to not be consumed by hatred, and to find a reason to live.

By the time I had fully grown my wings, I escaped and flew far away. I flew across the sea and into the mainland, in search of any fellow dragon. But any dragon I met I soon lost, either to sickness or to injury, or, of course, to humans. I watched as my kind quickly disappeared, while the human race took over the world with bigger and deadlier machines, and bigger and deadlier weapons. I'll never forgive the humans for what they've done.

I had lost all hope until Firedrake found me and brought me here a few moons ago."

Ormr looked at his audience. Everyone was quiet. Ben felt like the wind was knocked clean out of him.

Professor Greenbloom was the first to speak. "I'm...I'm terribly sorry for what happened to you, Ormr."

"Don't be," Ormr replied. "If you wanted to know why I really hate humans, then that whole story was the answer."

Firedrake looked at Ormr. "But you do understand now that not all humans are evil, I hope?" Ormr turned to Firedrake, who looked at him with sympathy. "I'm sorry for what happened to you too, but you can't hold onto hate and anger forever. It's like drinking poison and expecting the other dragon to die. Besides, it was your father who told you to not be consumed by hatred and to find a reason to live."

"Firedrake's right," Sorrel pitched in. "I used to hate humans all the time, but all that changed when Ben landed into my life. Now he's almost like a bigger brother." She glanced up at Ben, who replied with a smile.

"I have a pretty similar story," Twigleg said. "I was once made by an alchemist, along with nine brothers many years ago. We were made to serve a monster named Nettlebrand. I was forced to clean him, polish him, and entertain him from morning to evening. Even more so, he ate up all my brothers, leaving only me. When I saw Firedrake and Ben nearby, I escaped and flew away with them, but then we met Professor Greenbloom and his family, and his beloved daughter took me in as a friend. True, bad things happened to me, but I still live on."

"I should know," said a voice outside of the cave. A small, mountain dwarf wearing a big hat walked inside. "If you don't know me, Ormr, I'm Gravelbeard."

"Yes, I know you," replied Ormr. "I don't mind dwarves so much. They're harmless."

Gravelbeard heard Sorrel and Burr-Burr Chan stifle their chuckles.

"Very amusing," Gravelbeard replied. "Anyway, I, too, was abused and enslaved by the same monster who was Twigleg's master. To be honest, he wanted to find this valley, and he promised me a mountain of gold if I helped him find it. But I was dreadfully wrong about him. I saw that when Firedrake defeated him for good. So I decided to stay here and free the other dragons from their frozen state. Just because I worked for someone who was evil doesn't mean I'm evil myself."

"Frozen state?" Ormr asked, baffled.

"When we first got here, all the dragons in the valley had turned into stone," Firedrake said to Ormr. "They stopped drinking moonlight, but Gravelbeard was able to thaw them out. We owe him."

"Okay, I do believe we've had enough of these endless confessions, haven't we?" Burr-Burr Chan pitched in. "I say we go find something to eat."

"Absolutely!" Sorrel agreed.

Ormr sighed. "Of course," he finally said. "I understand it all." He nodded in acknowledgement to Firedrake, then to the Professor, and then to Ben before walking out of his cave. Everyone else followed him.

"Hm. I guess sometimes you need to deal with your past before you can really move forward," Firedrake said. He looked down at Ben, who was suddenly looking rather melancholy.

"Are you alright, Ben?" the dragon asked.

"I'm fine," Ben replied, forcing a smile.


	4. Ch4 The Rusalka

**Note: For all of you who have started reading this fanfic, you might have noticed a few canonical errors in the first chapters, so I just want to point out a few important things. For leroy118, I read "The Ballad of Ben", and I liked the story that I wanted to include a little bit of it in my own fanfic to give insight to Ben's background. Eddy and Reggie and the Family completely belong to you. As for Ormr, he belongs to me. Sorry if he's coincidental.**

 **Finally, for the canonical differences (Firedrake flying during the daytime, Professor Greenbloom flying on Firedrake and not getting vertigo, and Twigleg living with the Greenblooms instead of Ben)- I've written an ALTERNATE ENDING for Dragon Rider, that will explain everything in this fanfic. However, I have yet to publish it. So for now, be patient and enjoy TDWFFTS.**

 **Sorry for causing any confusion, and many humble thanks for the support and feedback.**

 **Onward!**

…

Ch.4 The Rusalka

Professor Greenbloom stayed with the dragons for a whole week. He entertained them by telling them stories of his many adventures with fabulous creatures and discoveries of new lands and hidden magical territories. A crowd of young hatchlings would follow the professor anywhere he went, curiously studying him and playing with him. When he would begin telling his stories, the young ones would immediately huddle around him and listen eagerly. Even Ormr was enjoying his time with the professor.

Ben, however, was greatly troubled by Ormr's tragic story. Everything he told, as well as Firedrake's notion about dealing with the past, seemed to bring Ben's carefully constructed positive attitude to utter ruin. He began avoiding the dragons, preferring to be on his own. He was bothered by unpleasant, disturbing thoughts. He thought about Ormr's family getting slaughtered by dragon hunters, which made him think about getting caught in a drive-by shooting in the middle of the night; which made him think about all the ugliness and violence and destruction human beings were wreaking across the earth; which made him think of the human race as a big cancer eating up the world; which made him become angry at humans, since they were all evil.

But then Ben tried to think about all the _good_ humans who have done many good things for others, humans and animals alike! Ben started to see some light in that. Ben thought about Professor Greenbloom and his family. He thought about the monks and the dragon lady, Zubeida Ghalib. Ben thought about his best friend, Reggie, and how he was like a brother to him. Ben thought about his grandfather-

 _Grandpa,_ Ben thought.

Just like that, all the anger and confusion and sadness came rushing back to him.

 _All The Evil._

Ben remembered Grandpa very well. Grandpa was a good- no, a _great_ human being. Grandpa and Ben loved each other very much. It's just that bad things happened to Grandpa a long time ago…

 _Grandpa survived All The Evil._

One rather chilly evening, Ormr went to see Ben, who was sitting alone by the giant lake looking up at the sky.

"I don't mean to intrude, Ben," Ormr said, "but are you sure you're alright? You've been isolating yourself these past few days and nights. Is it about our little… misunderstanding?"

Ben grinned. "Don't worry, Ormr. I'm alright. I just… I've just been thinking a lot… about what you told us… and what everyone said. I'm just really bothered right now, and I'm trying to figure it out. This is not about you, Ormr. It's me."

It got pretty cold during the nighttime in the Rim of Heaven, especially since it was up the Himalayas, the "Land of Eternal Snows." But Ben had developed a tolerance to the weather after living here for almost a whole year. Besides, the moonstone in the dragons' caves kept the dragons warm.

That night, just a few hours until dawn, when everyone was asleep in their caves, Ben had a dream. In it, he and Firedrake were in a misty wasteland and were separated by a large barbed wire fence. Ben noticed he was wearing a dirty uniform with black and white stripes, and he had a number tattooed on his left arm. He felt utterly stranded, alone. Just before he woke up, Ben remembered the long story Grandpa had told him when he was younger. It all played back into his memory like a movie. The last thing Ben remembered was him holding a shining dragon scale in his hand, and then he woke up.

Firedrake was watching Ben as he tiredly got up on his feet. He must have sensed the boy's restlessness.

"It's time we flew the professor back to the monastery," Firedrake said.

"What?" Ben said hoarsely. "He has to go already?"

"I'm afraid so," Firedrake said. "He'll come back again, hopefully. At least you'll get to spend time with him in the coming summer."

After Professor Greenbloom bid a hearty farewell to all the dragons and brownies, as well as giving Sorrel a big bag of exotic mushrooms from his wife just for her to enjoy, he and Ben climbed onto Firedrake's back and strapped themselves to the dragon's spines. Firedrake took off into the air and soared over the snow-covered mountaintops. The professor usually got vertigo whenever he was high above the ground, but for some reason, riding on Firedrake alongside Ben changed that a lot.

It was almost noon when the group reached the monastery. A group of monks were outside, waiting for them. With a few powerful wingbeats, Firedrake landed on the ground. The professor climbed off of Firedrake's back, with Ben following him.

"It was so great to see you, Ben my boy! I'm glad you're having a great life with your dragon family!" the professor smiled. "I can't wait to see you this summer!"

"Me as well, Professor," Ben grinned.

"I'll miss you, young master!" said Twigleg, who was sitting on the professor's shoulder.

Ben looked at Professor Greenbloom. "I'm actually curious, Professor. Are you going to go on another expedition or something?"

"Actually, yes," the professor replied. "I'm going to the Czech Republic to study the legend of the Golem of Prague."

Ben blinked. "The Golem?" Ben remembered something about the Golem from his dream!

"Yes," replied Professor Greenbloom, grinning. "It is said that he was created from clay and stone and brought to life by a magician. His purpose was to protect good people from all sorts of dangers. Some say they've seen him a few times recently out in the woods or in a certain village."

"How interesting," Firedrake said, raising an eyebrow.

Ben looked at the professor for a few moments. "Are you going to be anywhere near Poland?"

"Yes," the professor replied, returning Ben's glance.

"Can I go with you?" Ben blurted out.

Firedrake, Professor Greenbloom, and Twigleg looked at Ben in surprise.

"What makes you want to go with the professor, all of a sudden?" asked Firedrake.

"Oh, I...uh…" muttered Ben, "I just… suddenly got very interested in Professor Greenbloom's latest expedition. That's all."

"You just asked me if I was going to be anywhere near Poland," the professor pointed out.

"Right on that one, too," replied Ben. "I just have a feeling there might be some dragons in a certain area in Poland, or at least some evidence."

Ben looked at Professor Greenbloom and then at Firedrake, then said, "Besides, it's been a while now since Firedrake and I have gone on an adventure, and I'm getting a bit bored, honestly." He looked up at Firedrake again.

"If it's alright with you, of course," he finally said.

Firedrake looked at Ben with consideration for a few moments. _Can't this boy ever plan things?_ he thought.

"Well, I suppose it'll be alright," Firedrake grinned at Ben. "After all, it has been awhile now, since our last adventure. How long do you suppose it'll take to get there?" he asked, looking at the professor.

"About a week," the professor replied. "You and Ben will get there a little bit faster than me, but I know a quick boat and train route to the destination."

Ben grinned. "You are always more than welcome to fly with us, Professor Greenbloom."

"Thanks, but no. I still can get pretty scared when I'm up in the air," he said. "I know, of course, I can ride on Firedrake's back from here to the Rim of Heaven, only because it's a short distance, and Firedrake doesn't fly so high up, thankfully. Besides, when you were badly wounded, I mustered enough courage to ride with you from Zubeida's village all the way to here, and I admit, I lost some of my fear of flying. But still, it'd be too much for me to fly on Firedrake from here all the way to Poland."

"Understandable," Ben agreed. He looked at Twigleg. "You can be with me if you want, Twigleg."

Twigleg blushed. "Many thanks, young master." He jumped onto Ben's outstretched hand, and Ben put the little manikin on his left shoulder. Ben looked up at Firedrake.

"Are you sure you want to come with us, Firedrake?" Ben asked. "Where we're going is pretty far away… and not all that interesting, I'm sure."

Firedrake teasingly nuzzled Ben. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me, no matter what you say or do," the dragon replied. Ben grinned, slightly embarrassed.

"But first," the dragon added, "I should fly back and let everyone know where we're going. I'll be back in a bit."

With that, Firedrake rose into the air and flew off over the mountains.

"I'm curious, Ben," Professor Greenbloom said, looking at the teen, "why do you really want to come along?"

Ben returned the professor's glance.

The professor added, "I feel like there's more."

"Well," Ben began, "there is this place in somewhere in Poland, in the southwestern part of it, I think, that I want to visit. I do know that there's evidence of the Golem there, so maybe you could benefit."

"What is this place in Poland?" the professor asked.

"I'll explain later, but it's close by this town called Opole," answered Ben. "It's got a nearby forest that Firedrake can hide in."

The three spent the next half hour studying Professor Greenbloom's travel map and making their plan routes to the woods by Opole, Poland. They estimated that Firedrake and Ben could reach there in two days' time if they flew nonstop. Not only that, it'd make a good rest stop for the dragon before flying to the western mountains where the Golem was said to have settled. As for Professor Greenbloom, he would go on two boat trips- the first across the Arabian Sea, the second across the Mediterranean- before taking the train to Opole. His trip could last for about a week and a half. Ben reasoned that he and Firedrake will find ways to keep themselves occupied. _It's a good thing Firedrake can still drink moonlight, or else he'd be hunting for prey all over the place._ Ben thought to himself.

A few minutes later, Firedrake came back, followed by Maia with Sorrel on Firedrake's back, much to Ben's, Twigleg's, and the professor's surprise.

"Don't begin to ask," Firedrake said, slightly annoyed.

"Sorrel and I are coming with you," Maia told the group.

"Hold on," said Ben. "We've already got Firedrake coming along with us on this trip. For your sake, two dragons and a brownie is a little much."

"So what?" Sorrel replied indignantly, clutching her bag full of mushrooms. "It's not like you don't make last-minute decisions all the time, unlike Firedrake here." She looked at Firedrake with a scowl. "Besides, you never really told us where you're going, so we're going with you just so you could have backup."

Maia looked at Firedrake, then at Ben. "Plus," she said, "I've never really seen the world beyond the Rim of Heaven. I mean, I did see some of the world when I flew to Firedrake's old home in the north to rescue his clan, but I haven't gotten to know it well, and I'd actually like to meet this golem."

"Ah, God," Ben sighed, rolling his eyes. "Alright, fine. But don't get mad at me afterwards."

Firedrake chuckled. "That's what I said to them, too," he said.

Maia went up to Firedrake and touched his nose with hers. Obviously she developed a liking to him.

"Oh, yes," the professor said, "you may borrow my compass so you can find your way," and he took a neat-looking compass out of his jacket pocket and pulled a copy of his travel map out from his bag and gave them to Ben.

"Thanks," Ben said, then he looked at Twigleg.

"Do you think you could help me with this stuff?" he asked.

"Of course," Twigleg replied. "I'd be honored."

Professor Greenbloom clapped his hands. "So, two dragons, two humans, a manikin, and a brownie are off to find the legendary Golem of Prague. Exciting! I'd better be off now, or I'll miss my boat!" He walked away to get his luggage. "I'll see you all in Opole, Poland!" he called back. "I believe this trip is going to be fun!"

"I highly doubt that," Ben murmured as he climbed onto Firedrake's back.

Twigleg was holding onto Ben's earlobe nervously. "Please don't let Sorrel needle me," he whispered.

"Don't worry, I won't." Ben replied. He strapped himself to Firedrake's spines.

"Ben, could you help me put this on?" Sorrel asked. She was sitting behind Ben.

Ben turned around to see Sorrel holding the Star of David necklace he had given her. She looked at the tiny clip with a frustrated look.

"Here," Ben smiled, and he fit it around Sorrel's furry neck in a few seconds.

"Thanks," Sorrel blushed. "This thing sure is pretty, but, pestiferous parasols, it's so _hard_ to put on! At least it'll protect me from evil, like you said, and I for sure hope it will, too!"

Ben patted Firedrake's silver scales. "Ready for takeoff," he declared. With that, Firedrake and Maia spread their wings and took off into the sky.

Ben felt an uneasiness. This was not how he wanted this to turn out. A quest to find the Golem was exciting, and in fact, the Golem was a part of the thing Ben wanted to deal with. The story of Grandpa and how he survived All The Evil. But he didn't want to bring that up with his new family around. Maybe he could at least face All The Evil without anyone noticing. _They wouldn't understand,_ Ben thought. _It's too upsetting, and yet too complex that they wouldn't get it._

Firedrake and Maia were soon flying high up over the mountains, and Ben felt the cold, steady wind blow past him. He put his anxiety aside for now so he could enjoy flying.

" _Think of all the joy you'll find, when you leave the world behind, and bid your cares goodbye...,"_ Ben was singing softly.

In his mind's eye he saw a beautiful silver dragoness gliding in the distance. Riding on her back was a young boy wearing striped clothes. His arms were outstretched and he was laughing happily.

…

After two days and two nights of flying, the dragons and their passengers landed in a desolate forest outside of the Polish town of Opole. It was still pretty dark, even though day was starting to break. There were no stars up in the sky. It was very misty in the forest, and very quiet too. Firedrake and Maia lay down in the grass and went to sleep. Sorrel, who had slept during half of the flight, was busy exploring the strange place looking for anything edible to eat.

"So what now?" asked Twigleg, who was sitting on Ben's left shoulder. "Are we going to just sit here and do nothing until Professor Greenbloom shows up?"

"No, silly," Ben replied. "We'll find a way to keep ourselves occupied for the next few days. Right now, the dragons are sleeping and Sorrel's looking for mushrooms, so I guess we'll go for a little walk. Just to see where we are."

Ben walked west from where they had landed following his compass. He kept his eyes on the ground so as not to trip on anything. After about ten minutes, Ben and Twigleg came across an open hollow. In the middle of it was an old railroad track, so old that it was never used. Grass, weeds and flowers sprouted from it. On the other side of the track was a signpost that read "POMNIK HEISENBURG," with an arrow pointing to the left below the characters.

" 'Heisenburg Memorial'," Twigleg read. "What's that?"

Ben swallowed uneasily. "Let's find out later," he murmured, and turned and began to walk back to the group. About halfway back, Ben stopped in his tracks. Ten paces ahead of him, what appeared to be a young woman stepped out from behind a tall, moss covered tree, but she strangely seemed see-through. She wore an odd and dirty working dress and a ragged cloth on her head, and her face was white as snow. With big, green eyes, she stared at Ben with a mixture of shock and wonder.

"She must be a rusalka," whispered Twigleg. "I've read about them. They're female spirits who live off of the energy from trees and rivers."

Ben nodded.

The strange rusalka tipped her head to one side.

"Stanley?" she asked nervously. "Is.. is that you?"

Before Ben could answer, he heard Sorrel cry out, "Ben! Ben, where are you? We're being surrounded! We need help!"

Ben ran past the apparition and sprinted through the trees back to where he and Twigleg left Firedrake, Sorrel, and Maia. What they saw astonished them. A large group of rusalka, all of them wearing the same ragged uniforms, had gathered around the two dragons, who were now wide awake and slightly backing away, stunned by the ghostly crowd. Sorrel was on Firedrake's back, her arms wrapped tightly around her bag. The rusalka, however, didn't seem to mean harm. They were all studying the dragons in awe, and some were cautiously approaching them, their arms reached out to touch them. Some rusalka hummed a haunting, yet pleasant tune, like a child's lullaby.

 _Fabulous beings attract each other,_ Ben remembered. But he also knew what these rusalka once were, and what happened to them.

"We're here!" Ben called out as he pushed his way through the female spirits.

"Who are these humans, Ben, and what are they doing here?" Sorrel called down from Firedrake's back.

"They're not humans, guys," said Ben. "They're spirits. They're called 'rusalka'."

"We just wanted to see you," said one of the rusalka. "None of us have ever seen dragons before."

"Oh, no," said a smaller one. "Besides, no one hardly ever shows itself around here. We're all alone, and awfully lonely."

Maia regained a bit of her bravery and bent down her neck. "You don't mean us harm?" she asked.

"No, no," replied the small rusalka. "I'm actually quite happy to see you. This is the first time I've felt happy in a very long time."

"Yes," said a third rusalka. "Please, let us stay with you. Just until the sun comes up." The rusalka gathered closer around the dragons, their faces lighting up in bliss.

Firedrake looked curiously at the rusalka. "If you're spirits, how come you look a lot like humans?" he asked.

"Well, because we were humans once," said the third rusalka, but then a feeling of melancholy came over her, "but now we're not anymore."

"Stanley?" he heard a voice say before he could ask another question. The green-eyed rusalka girl was walking up to Ben. "Is it really you, Stanley? It must be."

"I'm not Stanley," said Ben. The rusalka paused.

"No?" she whispered, and looked down, disappointed, but then looked up again. "But you look a lot like him."

Ben's heart skipped a beat.

"Do you mean… Stanley Hoffman?" he asked.

"Yes!" the rusalka answered with wide eyes. "He's my little brother. Do you know him?"

Ben nodded. "Stanley Hoffman was my grandfather."

"Grandfather?" the rusalka girl asked, baffled.

Ben nodded again. After a few moments, the girl walked a few steps away and sat down on the grass. She was clearly saddened. She looked up at Ben with sunken eyes. "I don't understand. I don't understand why so much time has passed. I don't know anything, or remember anything. I don't even remember my name. But I've always remembered my little brother, Stanley Hoffman." Her rusalka companions shared her misery, quietly humming their lullaby.

Firedrake looked down at the rusalka girl. "Why are you all here?" he asked.

"We don't remember," she said. "All we do remember was that once upon a time, we were people, and we were happy… but then, terrible things happened to us. So now we're trapped here in this forest. We're all alone."

"What terrible things?" Firedrake asked, concerned.

"We don't remember," the girl replied. "We don't try to remember. We don't _want_ to remember."

Ben looked at the girl. "Ruth," he said.

The girl returned his glance. "What?" she asked.

"Your name is Ruth," said Ben. "Your name is Ruth. Remember that." Ben felt weak at the knees. "Please, Ruth," he quietly gasped. "Remember your name. Please, Ruth… remember…"

The girl stared at Ben as if his words had reached her, but then the sun came up, and in the blink of an eye, all the rusalka disappeared.


	5. Ch5 The Memorial

Ch. 5 The Memorial

"What was that all about?" asked Sorrel as she climbed down from Firedrake's back. It was already morning, but it remained as misty as ever in the empty woods. Firedrake and Maia exchanged bewildered glances at each other, while Sorrel and Twigleg looked around themselves, making sure if there were any other rusalka present.

Only Ben remained silent.

"Rusalka?" questioned the young brownie. "Huh! How can human beings become spirits or fabulous beings, anyway? Humans can't return from the World Beyond."

Twigleg shook his head. "Well, it was bound to happen, anyway," he pointed out. "One fabulous being attracts another. Right, Ben?" He looked up at Ben, who apparently spaced out.

"Ben?" Twigleg asked again.

Finally he spoke, "Twigleg, stay here with the group now, will you? I'll be back in a little bit." Ben picked up Twigleg by the collar and placed him gently on Sorrel's paw.

"Be nice to him," Ben sternly told Sorrel, who looked at him in surprise. Ben then took off his shoes and socks, left them on the grass, and began to walk away.

"Where are you going _now_?" scoffed Sorrel, her furry arms stretched out to her sides.

"Just for a walk," Ben answered. "I want some time to myself. I'll be back soon."

Ben retraced his steps through the misty, quiet woods, feeling the damp grass under his bare feet until he found the old railroad track in the open hollow. The signpost on the other side was still there. Ben walked onto the track and faced the left side of it. The track ahead of him led into grey fog. The boy felt like he was staring down a path to a world beyond reach. Ben sighed heavily and began to walk forward when he heard some heavy steps coming from the woods. He looked to his left to see Firedrake emerge from the trees.

"Where are you going?" the dragon asked, concerned.

Ben was tired of keeping secrets. "Okay," he sighed and looked at Firedrake, "the real reason I wanted to come out here was because...well…the whole thing with Ormr really hit me hard, and at a point you said you should deal with the past before you can move on, right? Well, I've really thought about what you said, so I've decided to do it myself. You understand?"

Firedrake smiled, but he could tell there was more. "Of course I understand, Ben," he said, "but what does this have to do with you?"

"It isn't really about me-" Ben replied, but was cut off.

"Is it about those rusalka?" the dragon inquired. "How did they know about you? Who's _Stanley_? What sort of 'terrible things' happened to them?"

Ben looked at Firedrake and sighed. "This is about my grandpa's past," he said, "and his name was Stanley Hoffman. That girl who remembered him was his sister. And yes, terrible things did happen here. _All The Evil_ happened here."

Firedrake looked at Ben with concern and anxiety in his eyes. _All The Evil?_ the dragon thought.

"Would you like for me to accompany you?" Firedrake asked.

"No, thanks," Ben murmured. "I feel like going alone. I'll be back a little while."

"Why can't I go with you?" Firedrake asked, slightly frustrated. "Why won't you tell me what you're keeping secret?"

"Because you won't understand, okay?" Ben replied. "It's all just...crazy human stuff that you would never understand, okay?" The boy and dragon looked at each other in awkward silence for about a minute.

"I'll be back soon. I promise," Ben murmured, and he turned and began walking down the track. Firedrake felt more frustrated and confused then resolved by Ben's words. _Crazy human stuff that I would never understand?_ he thought, irritatedly. Anyway, he wasn't about to let his human out of his sight, so the dragon followed the boy from a distance behind. Ben could hear Firedrake, but didn't turn back at him. Inside, he felt content and grateful that somebody who cared about him too much was near him. At least he was not _totally_ alone.

Ben and Firedrake walked in silence down the old track. The mist hung in the air, and the trees remained still like giant shadows. The hollow led off into the grey nothingness like a tunnel. Apart from Ben's footsteps and Firedrake's heavy pawsteps, there was no sound.

No birds.

No wind.

No anything.

Firedrake felt uneasy. He could sense the negative energy emitting from the earth underneath his paws and the silence of the trees around him. Silence pretty much terrified the dragon the most. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Ben reached the end of the track. He then looked to his left, and so did Firedrake.

There was a large open field, the size of a football field, in the middle of the forest. Out in the field, three rectangular mounds stretched from one end of the field to the other. Ben and Firedrake stared at the field for a few moments, and Ben began to walk quietly out into the field. Firedrake didn't know what this eerie place was, but he sensed Ben's sadness, and quietly followed the boy as he walked in between the mounds. All was quiet in the field, and the mist remained. Flowers and stones were placed beside the mounds. Ben came to a small marble stone in the middle of the field that had a carving on it. When Ben came within a few feet of it, he stopped, and then sat down on the grass and began to cry.

Firedrake rushed over to Ben's side, and Ben leaned his warm cheek on the dragon's snout and wrapped his right arm underneath his large head. After a few minutes of weeping, Ben read the carvings to Firedrake: "ISAAC HOFFMAN, aged 19; RUTH HOFFMAN, aged 17. REST IN PEACE." Below the words was a carving of the Star of David.

Ben reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver dragon's scale. Firedrake looked at the scale in surprise, and leaned in his nose and sniffed it. From what Firedrake could pick up, it belonged to a female, and still seemed young, for it shone in the faint sunlight.

"Where did you get that scale?" the dragon quietly asked Ben. Ben pressed against Firedrake's cheek and looked at the scale.

"Grandpa gave it to me, a long time ago," Ben said. "It was given to him by a dragon princess, when he was almost my age. The dragon's name was Jora." The scale began to glow.

"I remember everything Grandpa told me. It seems strange, though, because I remember it so well, I almost feel like I was there myself. What this story taught me was that, even in the darkness, most horrifying, and most saddening places… there is wonder, there's hope… and there's light."

Ben looked up, and saw the silver dragoness embracing the boy in the striped clothes.

Ben looked at Firedrake and smiled. "And when there's light… there will be dragons…"

 **All right! Now the real story's about to spin! Throughout the rest of the story until the last chapter, we will turn time back 75 years, when an empire of brutal humans called Nazis take over the land and threaten to wipe out anything in their path, and the dragons are in need of a new home! How do the dragon princess Jora and the Jewish human boy Stanley meet? How will Jora rescue Stanley from the evil Nazis and help her own clan find a new home? Let's wait for the new chapters to find out!**

 **P.S.- Keep an eye out for my alternate ending to DRAGON RIDER! Later!**


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